We tell our children stories about fairies and giants and wizards and trolls—all still favorites, even as an adult. So let's not stop with the fables. But can't we also share with kids the wonders of what's real?

That's what evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins has done with The Magic of Reality, a children's book that cares more about the magic you feel staring up at the stars than the kind that comes out of a wand. Dawkins divides the work into several sections that are scientific, historic, and astronomical, jabbing at various myths about his subjects before coming in with a haymaker of truth.

I'm getting married in a week and a half, and when I do I'm going to inherit two incredible nieces. And as much as I'm looking forward to sharing the joys of Peter Pan and the Cowardly Lion with them, I also can't wait to show them just how incredible the world around them is. [Open Culture via BoingBoing]